Bookholder



EJ.SWHENS Feb. 6, 1934.

BOOKHOLDER Filed March 1933 INVENTOR I E. J. dwiaens BY ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATS FATE? This invention relates to book-holders, an object of the invention being to provide a holder for a series of books or binders and their contained books, such as telephone directories or the like, so that they occupy a relatively small space and are supported in such a manner as to be conveniently accessible for use.

Another object is to provide a mounting for the books so that they may be pulled out of the casing into position for use and automatically returned into the casing upon being released.

A further object is to provide mechanism to facilitate the pulling up of the books by the user or operator.

A further object is to provide mechanism for the retention of the books to prevent their loss or displacement.

A further object is to provide protection for the books thereby preserving their appearance and guarding against the efiects of wear and tear.

A still further object is to provide mechanism to protect the user or operator from personal injury or accident when operating or using the books.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of this invention are set forth with parfour books, one of these books being illustratedat the broken portion of said unit as in normal position, and another of the books being illustrated as withdrawn from the. unit and in position,for reference on the top of the unit. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 with parts broken away to show the interior of the cabinet. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a cabinet having a different formation than the cabinet shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In the improved device a casing 5 which is preferably made of wood, although other suitable material may be used, provides a housing for enclosing a series of. books 6. The casing may be of a size to hold a single book or a plurality of books, as may be desired. The form of casing shown in Figs. 1, 2'and 3 is substantially rectangular with an upper portion of larger area than the base, and having a horizontal surface upon which the books may rest when in a raised or upward position to be consulted. The casing shown in Fig. 4 is substantially triangular in form and is provided with'an inclined surface upon which the book may rest. The two forms of casing are otherwise similar to each other and are equipped with substantially the same mechanism. In practice the cabinet is attached at its rear to a supporting wall or to the wall of a telephone booth at a height which will be convenient to consult the book or directory when raised in panel 8 may be provided with a detachable panel.

10'for the purpose of inspecting the interior of the casing. The back of the casing has a panel 11 through which screws are adapted to pass to secure the cabinet to a supporting wall. Side panels 12 abut the front panels and are suitably secured thereto, and a suitable base is provided for the cabinet. The sidepanels may have rest arms 13 extending along their edges to provide supports for the covers of the books 6 when in open position.

The upper part of the casing shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is of substantially rectangular formation, and the books or directories housed therein normally assume a position with their backs se-l cured to a carrier 14. longitudinal upper edges of the books or directories 6 may lie just beneath the top surface of the casing. Partitions 15 which may be made of hard rubber or the like, extend from the front panel 7 to the rear panel 11 and engage the 90 edges of the covers of the books or directoriesto hold them in closed relation, and separated from companion books or directories.

The carrier 14 may be made of wood or metal,

of channel formation within which the back of95 the book is suitably secured and a rectangular metal plate 14' is afiixed to the front end of the carrier. A handle 16 extending outwardly fromthe cabinet 5 has a shank which is bolted orotherwise secured to the plate 14. This shank 1 i is adapted to be moved in a vertical slot 16 which is cut through the front panel 7 of the cabinet. A guide pin 17 is attached to the rear end of the carrier 14 and slides in a vertical slot provided in the interior wall of the rear panel 11. book 6 and its carrier are reciprocated in the. cabinet by the vertical movement of the handle 16. When the book has reached its extreme upward position it may be opened for consultation, and in this position the covers will rest 9.

In this position the free The 105.

upon the partitions 15 and the arms 13 as shown in Fig. 1. When the book has reached its extreme low or normal position, it will lie in a position within the cabinet with the shank of the 5 handle 16 and the guide pins 1'7 seated in the bottoms of their slots, and a soft rubber stop 18 may be provided to absorb any shock attending the return of the book to its normal position. A rubber stop 28 may be provided at the top of the handle slot to absorb any shock due to abnormal operation of book to its upward or reading position.

A dash-pot is provided in the cabinet beneath the book 6 and its carrier 14, which includes a tubular jacket 19 secured at its lower end to the base of the cabinet, and a needle-point valve 20 is attached to the bottom. of this jacket to permit the entrance and exit of air. A steel pistonrod 21 passes through an opening in the top of, and reciprocates in, the tubular jacket 19 and is suitably attached at its upper end to the carrier 14. The lower end of piston-rod 21 carries washers 22 to provide the necessary compression for the dash-pot in a well known manner. A spiral spring 23 contained within the jacket 19 is seated on top of the washers and encircles the piston-rod 21. This spring will be in a normal, non-extended position in the jacket 19 after the book is withdrawn from the cabinet, and the covers of the book when opened upon the rests 13 interlock therewith and maintain the book in opened position. The spring 23 opposes gravitational action partially counter-balancing the book, thereby facilitating its withdrawal from the cabinet and retarding its return to its normal position in the cabinet. The dash-pot provides a unitary structure including the spring means 23 and the piston or compression means 19 and its associated parts. The dash-pot has no effect upon the raising of the book, but cooperates with the spring to retard the return of the book to the cabinet.

The modification of the improved device illustrated in Fig. 4 is similar to the arrangement just described, except for minor details. The book contained in the cabinet of Fig. 4 when withdrawn and opened, rests in an inclined position on the top of the cabinet 5. The dashpct 19 lies in the cabinet in an angular position and is supported on a board 25 attached to the base of the cabinet. A second support or brace 26 carrying a clamp which embraces the dash-pot is attached to the rear panel of the cabinet and serves to maintain the dash-pot in position. The

shank of the handle 16 passes through a slot in the front panel and is secured to an angle iron 2'7 attached to the back of the carrier 14, and this carrier and its book function similarly to ..-the previously described type of the improved device illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In the operation of the improved device a book is withdrawn from its housed position by grasping the handle appearing at the front of the cab-.

. -inet and lifting it upwardly until it reaches the top of its vertical slot. While the book is traveling upward its movement is facilitated by the spring, and at the same time the covers of the book gradually open automatically until the book ..han dle reaches the rubber stop at the top of the position. The rubber stop at the top of the slot serves as means to break any shock that might otherwise occur if the book handle were pulled up too rapidly. The restoration of the book to its housing in the cabinet is eliected by either one of two methods, viz. (a) by closing the covers, or binders by hand and then allowing the book to return to its housing by gravity against the action of the spring and the dash-pot, or (b) by pushing the book-handle slightly downward by hand until the book covers are partially closed, when the book will return to its housing automatically by gravity as heretofore stated. The action of the dash-pot may be so adjusted that the book is returned completely to its compartment in the cabinet without noise or shock.

What is claimed is:

1. A book-holder including a casing for housing a series of books or the like, said books being adapted to move between a normally housed position in the casing and a consulting position on the top of the casing, handles slidably mounted in said casing, each of said handles being connected with each of said books for raising it to its consulting position, a cylindrical jacket in the casing individual to each book, a piston directly connected with each book and being reciprocally mounted in each of the jackets, areactive tension spring encircling each of said pistons, and compression means for retarding the return of said books and handles to their normal positions upon the closure of said books.

2. A book-holder including a casing for housing a series of books or the like, said books being adapted to move from a normally closed position in the casing to an open position and in locked relation on'the top of the casing, handles slidably mounted in said casing, each of said handles being directly connected with each of said books for raising their associated books to the position on top of the casing, a cylindrical jacket in the casing for each book, a piston reciprocally mounted in each of the jackets and directly connected to each of said books, and means including reactive tension and compression means carried within said jackets for controlling the automatic restoration of said books and said handles to their normal positions upon the closure of said books.

3. A book-holder including a casing for housing a series of books or the like, a carrier for each of the books mounted in the casing and adapted to move between a normal downward position and an upward position, said books being closed in the normal position of the carrier and adapted to be opened and coact with the casing to lock the carrier in its upward position, a handle connected with the carrier and slidable in said casing to move the carrier and its attached book from a j EDWARD JONE SITHENS; 

